A case equipped with a simple-designed opening and shutting device, is generally used to prevent a damage of an information storage media, e.g., a video tape, a compact disk, a cassette tape and a floppy disk, from outside impact, and is used to protect an information storage portion of the disk. Since this case has a structure of easily being opened and shut by anybody, lots of burglaries occur in which the disk is pilfered from the storage case in a disk store or in a store that lends or rents disks. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the burglary as aforementioned.
To prevent the burglary of the information storage media, the conventional storage case having a locking member is proposed. A structure of the conventional storage case is illustrated briefly as referred to FIG. 1.
As described in FIG. 1, the locking member comprises a housing space 32 for housing the disk, housing grooves 33 formed on exterior faces of both ends, a case body 31 in which a guide real groove 33B is formed on one side of the housing groove 33, a disk holder 36 having a long rail 34 in a lengthwise direction for being inserted into the housing groove 33 and the guide rail groove 33B of the case body 31, a through hole 33A formed inside the housing groove 33, and a leaf spring 35 disposed inside the rail 34 of the disk holder 36.
Here, a fixed protrusion 34A is formed on one side of the rail 34 and a fixed hole 35B corresponding to the fixed protrusion 34A is formed on the leaf spring 35 for coupling with the fixed protrusion 34A. Two hanger pieces 35A, which are formed by cutting the three adjacent lines of the leaf spring 35 and protruding the cut pieces, has a predetermined distance capable of coupling with the through hole 33A. At this time, the hanger pieces have a structure that a protrusion direction of the hanger pieces 35A is in opposite to the direction that disk holder 36 is inserted into the case body 31. Thus, in case of coupling the guide rail 34 with the housing hole 33 while the data storage disk case is housed in the case body 31, the hanger pieces 35A of the leaf spring 35 is coupled with the through hole 33A so that the disk holder 36 is not separated even if the disk holder 36 is pulled.
Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a schematic view of an unlocking device to unlock the locking device of the conventional storage case.
As described in FIG. 2, the unlocking device includes a key block 41 in which a first housing groove 41A is formed for housing a width of the data storage disk, and a magnet 42 are mounted in both end sides of the housing groove 41A of the key block 41. Since the key block has a stepped structure which enables for the first housing groove 41A to house a single case or a double case respectively and there is also a second housing groove 41B formed in a bottom portion for housing a tape case, it is possible for unlocking according to the width of the case.
If the storage case is inserted into the key block 41 of the unlocking device as aforementioned, the magnet 42 pulls the leaf spring 35 due to a magnetic force so that the locking is unlocked by separating the hanger pieces 35A from the through hole 33A.
Mechanisms for locking in and unlocking the disk holder 36 from the case body 31, are illustrated briefly as follows referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B.
As described in FIG. 3A, since the hanger pieces 35A of the leaf spring 35 are coupled with the through hole 33 of the case body 31, the disk holder 36 is locked not being separated even if it is pulled or pushed.
However, if the case is inserted into the first housing groove 41A of the key block 41 as described in FIG. 3B, the hanger pieces 35A of the leaf spring 35 are separated from the through hole 33A of the housing groove 33 because the leaf spring is pulled by the magnetic force of the magnet 42. In this state, a user pulls the case body 31 for unlocking the case on gripping the disk holder 36.
As mentioned, the conventional burglarproof apparatus has locking and unlocking devices and the structure has hanger pieces 35A on a leaf spring 35 made by being cut and protruded. And the hanger pieces 35A are coupled with the through hole of the housing groove in a locking state and are separated from the hole in an unlocking state. That is, the fixed hole 35B, which is formed on one side of the leaf spring 35, is fixed by being inserted into the fixed protrusion of the guide rail 34 and the hanger pieces 35A on the other side of the leaf spring 35 are disposed at a predetermined distance from an inner side of the leaf spring 35. Hence, occasionally, hanger pieces 35A of the leaf spring 35 are broken and bent backward upon pulling the case body from the disk holder with a compulsive force.
Therefore, if the hanger pieces 35A are not completely separated from the through hole 33A by the magnetic force of the magnet 12 in detaching the disk holder 6 from the case body 1, the hanger pieces 35A are bended backward or the leaf spring 35 itself is bended backward by the force which the user pulls the case body from the disk holder. Thus, a moveable space is reduced and the locking function of the hanger pieces is lost so that the unlocking function cannot operate eventually.
Moreover, when the locking device is intended to be unlocked, the user pulls the case body with one hand on gripping the disk holder with the other hand so that it is difficult for the user to open and shut the case body. There is also a drawback that the locking device is easily unlocked by twisting a cover owing to a weak reinforcement force, which the guide rail groove of the case body surrounds only the upper portion of the rail of the disk holder.